Your liver makes cholesterol, which your body uses to make steroid hormones, bile salts and cell membranes. Cholesterol can also come from your diet, and eating too much cholesterol can increase your risk of developing atherosclerosis, a condition that can damage your heart. A good cholesterol profile can indicate that you have a reduced risk of developing heart disease.
Cholesterol Forms
A good cholesterol profile looks at your total blood cholesterol, but it also looks at the levels of different forms of cholesterol. Cholesterol in your blood is packaged with proteins and other fats into complexes known as lipoproteins. Different types of lipoproteins affect your cardiovascular health differently. One kind, known as low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol, is the "bad" cholesterol and increases your risk of developing atherosclerosis, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute notes. High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol can help to protect you from cardiovascular problems.
Cholesterol Testing
A cholesterol profile is a blood test that looks at the different forms of cholesterol in your blood. If you want to accurately measure your low-density lipoprotein levels, you will need to fast for nine to 12 hours before the test, because eating can alter your LDL cholesterol results. Your cholesterol profile will give results in terms of mg per dL of blood, and your doctor will then interpret it based on other risk factors, such as your age, weight and blood pressure.
Results
For your total blood cholesterol, levels of less than 200 are considered ideal. Between 200 and 239 is borderline high and anything above 240 is high. For LDL, levels of less than 100 mg per dL are optimal, the American Heart Association notes. Between 100 and 129 is near optimal, and between 130 and 159 is borderline high. Levels above 160 are classified as high, and above 190 is very high. For HDL cholesterol, levels above 60 are considered good. The average value is between 40 and 49 for men and 50 and 59 for women; less than that is abnormally low.
Improving Your Cholesterol Levels
If you want to improve your cholesterol profile, there are a number of steps you can take, the Mayo Clinic explains. If you are overweight, losing excess pounds can improve your cholesterol levels. You can also improve your cholesterol profile by eating less cholesterol and saturated fat and by consuming more soluble fiber. Getting regular exercise can also lead to a better cholesterol profile. You can also improve your cholesterol profile by taking prescription medications.
